Will Time Heal Our Wounds?
by I dream my life away
Summary: It's been a year since Bruno died trying to save Shmuel from the Concentration Camp. Gretel is now battling severe depression, guilt, and severe physical symptoms caused from daily stress; their mother is depressed and aging too fast; and Ralf is guilt-stricken and dying inside. Will anybody help this family cope? Is time healing their wounds? Will time ever heal their deep wounds?
1. Chapter One: Morning Thoughts and Memory

Summary: It's been almost a year since Bruno died trying to save Shmuel from the Concentration Camp in the countryside. Gretel is now battling severe depression, guilt, and severe physical symptoms caused from the stress on a daily basis; their mother is depressed and aging quickly; and Ralf is guilty and dying inside. Will anybody help them? Is time healing their wounds? Will time ever heal their deep wounds?

A/N: This story is a The Boy in the Striped Pajamas fanfic. It features no slash, or incest, just family love, comfort, friendship, and romance in later chapters. Reviews with only constructive criticism and conventions/grammar tips. Thoughts, dreams, memories, and dialog are in _italics._

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><p>Will Time Heal Our Wounds?<p>

Chapter One: Morning Memories and Thoughts

The cheerful August sun pried Gretel's winter-grey eyes open, revealing the serenity of the Saturday morning before her. Gretel slowly levitated herself off of her 'overly-comfortable' mattress, rubbing her under rested eyes, and struggling to embrace the ideas of not sleeping longer.

"Ah, a fine day it'll be," Gretel yawned, her eyes attracted to the sun-bleached window- the sight of Berlin was captivating on a terrific, sunny morning.

Gretel peered into her illuminated bedroom one last time, before firmly closing the door. Gretel tiredly marched down the large, oak wainscoted corridor to reach the peak of the snaky stairs. Once at the edge, Gretel's thoughts drifted back to when she and her departed brother, Bruno raced down the stairs, a little over a year before.

_The overactive, tiny nine-year-old boy charged to the stairs, where Gretel had slowly started walking. Bruno sheepishly patted his sister on the shoulder and she reluctantly swiveled around to face her brother._

_ "What do you want?" Gretel snapped, scowling down at her brother's innocent face._

_ "I bet you can't run down the stairs as fast as I can!" Bruno said, his sky-blue eyes demanding for a challenge._

_ "Oh, really? You don't think I can?" Gretel smirked._

_ "Want to race me?" Bruno asked._

_ "Well, might as well," Gretel replied, shrugging._

_ Gretel ran as quick as possible, but Bruno had reached the end of the stairs in a matter of seconds._

_ "Ha-ha, I told you that I was faster," Bruno mocked, giving his trademark smirk._

_ "Yeah, but that's only because you're on the run all of the time, brother dear." Gretel replied, for once smiling at her brother. _

Memories like these made Gretel wish that she could live these mornings again, and have more fun times with her brother. With a sad smile, Gretel plodded on down the stairs, trying to push her depressed feelings away. At the bottom of the stairs, Gretel saw her mother and father coming to greet her, her tiny mother speeding past her father.

"Good morning, Gretel," Elsa greeted, her bone-thin arms wrapping around her short daughter's back.

"Good morning to you, mother," Gretel replied, leaning her tiny head against her mother's shoulder, and squeezing gently in return. When Gretel pulled back, she saw the weak gleam in her mother's icy-blue eyes, the grayer strands of hair in her black tufts, and the hesitant smile slowly creeping across her pale-pink lips. Gretel smiled in hesitation, embracing her mother's attempt at showing happiness. Gretel turned around, and slowly approached her father.

"Good morning, Gretel," Ralf greeted, skimming his large hand through Gretel's straw-colored hair. Gretel's eyes fixated on her father's weak smile, and on the few silver strands in his honey-brown hair. Gretel smiled at her father in return.

"Good morning, father," Gretel greeted, throwing her arms around the tall man's waist- despite he never hugged much. Ralf returned the affection, murmuring 'I love you' into his daughter's hair. Gretel beamed up at her father, who beamed in return.

"Gret, breakfast is made, dear," Elsa clarified.

"Thank you, mother," Gretel replied, forcing a smile at the thought of food. _'How can I eat when there is an empty spot at the table?'_ Gretel thought, looking down to the floor, never noticing how limp her nightgown fell around her emaciated body. How could one eat when the memory of their brother's death plagued their mind on a daily basis?

"Well, if breakfast is ready, let's go eat, then." Ralf stated, patting his flat stomach gently. "I'm starving."

With Ralf's statement about his hunger, the trio walked slowly to the leaf-green dining room to devour some breakfast. Ralf took two pieces of toast, two eggs, and two pieces of bacon, while Elsa and Gretel barely took half the amount of what he took. As the family sat at their mahogany table, Ralf and Elsa chatted on about finding work and local news from the newspaper. Gretel, however, sat and picked fussily at her food, her eyes fixating on the vacant spot at the table, which would have been occupied over a year ago. A few times, she carefully glanced at her mother and father, who kept rambling on about matters less important to her. Once Gretel ate all that she could, she stood up and dumped the rest of her food into the waste bin, and carefully sat the porcelain plate in the sink. Elsa spoke up when she noticed Gretel had left her spot.

"Gret, have you eaten all that you could possibly eat, dear?" Elsa asked carefully, a worried look upon her pale face. Ralf gave Gretel a worried expression, too.

"Yeah, mother, I'm fine," Gretel clarified, giving a wave of her arm. "Can I go get washed up?"

"Yes dear, you may," Elsa agreed. "I'll get Maria to do the dishes after father and I are done eating. Go on, dear, go get dressed now."

Gretel's thoughts switched to Maria as she walked down the narrow corridor to her bathroom.

Maria, the tall and thin maid still had resided with the family. After the loss of Bruno, she had stayed around to help the family with not only chores- but with moral support. The death of Bruno had plagued her memory too, for she had been used to the little charge, and she understood how the family had felt.

Once at the bathroom door, Gretel thought more in depth about the maid.

_'Maria's been such a good help with us... I mean, she does far too much...'_ Gretel thought, a frown forming on her face. _'She didn't have to stay living with us, but she did anyway... Ugh... Can I please stop thinking, and get on with my day?'_

Gretel opened the bathroom door tiredly, and took her time washing up and getting dressed, mostly because of her never-ending thoughts.


	2. Chapter Two: Returns

Chapter Two: Returns...

_Gretel stood before the barbed-wire fence that separated her family from the "nonhuman" people. Rain fell from the sky in torrents, drenching everything that wouldn't move from it's path, including Gretel._

_"Move faster, you good for nothing Jews!" An SS Commandant screeched at the very top of his lungs._

_In the roundup of Jews, Gretel saw a familiar petite-figured, short boy struggling to march properly- her mind thought of the worst scenario possible, that the boy was her little brother._

_"Bruno?" Gretel whispered, furrowing her eyebrows in worry. Peering at the crowd of marchers once again, she noticed that the familiar-looking boy walked the same pattern of step as Bruno._

_"BRUNO!" Gretel shrieked in fear._

_Suddenly, a familiar voice emerged from the roundup, and Gretel saw that the familiar boy halted his marching._

_"GRETEL?!" The voice shouted- Gretel had guessed right who the boy was._

_All of a sudden, the SS Commandant walked from the rear of the ranks to face Bruno- Gretel's heart started to tremor._

_"So, Jew, did you think that you'd get away with that stupid act?! Did you now!?" The SS Commandant screeched, his voice echoing for miles. Gretel sensed the fear in Bruno from where she was standing, and her heart began to beat like a racehorse's._

_"No, Sir! I-" Bruno's protests were cut off by a sharp gunfire. Bruno fell to the ground limply. Tears now slipped down Gretel's pale cheeks._

_"No, Bruno!" Gretel wailed. The rain beat down harder, in a way, expressing Gretel's pain._

Gretel's winter-grey eyes tore open at the sharp sound of her wails- the extent of the nightmare had literally made her cry hard. Gretel sat up in bed, clicked her lamp on, and looked at the bedroom door. Knowing somebody would come running to see what was going on, she slowed her rhythm in breathing, and swiped her cheeks- fresh tears soaked them entirely.

As Gretel had expected, frantic footsteps running down the hallway was what she heard next, and they halted quickly at her door. The door flew open, and she seen the shocked expression on her father's face.

"Gretel, what's the matter?" Ralf questioned, cautiously walking over to her bed, and sitting down slowly on the mattress. In a comfort attempt, Ralf began to stroke Gretel's fine hair. Gretel began to weep out of shock from the nightmare.

"Father, Bruno... The SS Commander shot him... I tried- I tried... To save him... But-but, he-he-" With that, Gretel's weeps escalated into loud sobs. Ralf gently lifted his daughter into his arms, and let her cry into the shoulder of his vertical-grey striped pajamas.

"Oh, Gret... It was just a nightmare, darling... Bruno didn't die that way..." With that said, Gretel sobbed louder and pressed her face hard into her father's chest.

"Who's to say how he died, father?!" Gretel managed between sobs. "He died in a torturous way, that's for sure... Oh, father! I wish that Bruno never ran away!" Gretel now cried so hard that she couldn't make anymore words. Ralf held Gretel as tight as humanly possible, and he quietly shushed her wails.

"Shh, Gretel... He's okay now... Wherever he is... I promise... He's probably watching over us right now, you know that, right?" Gretel nodded slowly into her father's chest. Ralf began to rock Gretel in a soothing pattern as she choked on more sobs. "Shh, try to sleep... My dear girl..."

"Okay, I'll try to sleep, father..." Gretel sniffed. Ralf began to put Gretel down on the bed, but her arms worked like steel bands- Ralf would have to stay with Gretel all night, like he'd done when she was a tiny girl with nightmares of the man in the closet.

"I will stay with you until you get to sleep, okay?" Ralf clarified. Gretel nodded and snuggled into her father. "I love you, Gret... I always will." With that stated, Ralf began to rock Gretel slowly again.

"Thanks, father." Gretel smiled tiredly into her father's chest. " I love you, and I always will..." Gretel's eyes began to tear up- but she was only yawning. Ralf embraced his daughter tightly.

" I love you, now try to get some sleep..." Ralf kissed his daughter's hair gently. A soft ''mm hmm" was heard.

In about half an hour's time, Gretel fell asleep perched in her father's arms. Ralf stayed with his daughter for the rest of the night, cradling her as if she was a fragile baby- he'd even quietly shush her if something incoherent escaped from her lips. This night, Ralf showed his true love for his baby girl and had no hesitation in comforting her- which was surely a good thing.

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><p>The next afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. The sun glistened off of everything in it's path, the tiny birds chirped happily, and the temperature was perfectly mild. To embrace the day's generous offerings, Gretel decided to go outside for a change.<p>

Gretel's soft, black flat shoes plodded softly against the concrete sidewalks of North Berlin, and her sunset-colored, no-sleeved sundress skipped along with each step of the shoes. Gretel liked seeing the herd of people crowding the street- it made her feel more invisible to the world.

In a crowd by the bake shop, Gretel swore that she saw a glimpse of someone she hadn't seen in over a year- Lieutenant Kurt Kotler. The honey-blonde hair that glistened in the sun, and his tall stature made Gretel sure that she'd seen him. The man who was only 50 feet away from Gretel, began to walk away.

Gretel's heart had ached to see Kurt since he'd left out-with. Gretel had puppy eyes for him since the first day she saw him, and Kurt quickly realized that she had a crush on him, and began to admire the young girl- despite the six or seven year age difference between the two. They became friends fast, and things had well... escalated quite quickly from there... They'd had quite a bond, they were "friends with benefits", you may say. Before Kurt left, Gretel and him shared a kiss that seemed like it wouldn't end- a kiss that Gretel and him had done on several occasions.

'_I need to see if that's my_ _Kurt!'_ Gretel thought, beginning to race down the sidewalk, and following Kurt's quick-paced path on the sidewalk.

Eventually, Gretel had chased Kurt to the park, where he'd taken a seat on a sun-bleached bench, and held his head in his hands. Gretel smiled brightly, and skipped over to the bench quickly to say hello.

"Hello, Kurt," Gretel greeted, smiling into the mop of golden hair before her. Kurt looked up, and Gretel noticed that his piercing gray eyes had lost their radiant glow, and age lines now were forming on his still-handsome face. With hesitation, Gretel saw, Kurt beamed at his friend.

"Gretel... It's been awhile..." Kurt said tiredly, offering a seat to Gretel. Gretel's beaming smile began to fade as she began to worry for Kurt, and she reluctantly took the spot beside him. Gretel took a glance at Kurt, something gold shimmered on his left hand-Gretel's euphoric mood dropped immediately.

"Kurt... How have you been?" Gretel asked, despair clearly evident in her voice. Kurt laid his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Pretty good, my dear, if you may ask..." Kurt sighed. "I've been... busy... working, surviving, and... this should explain the rest..." Kurt held up his left hand tentatively, revealing a new wedding band. Gretel's mouth dropped, and Kurt cut the young girl off, to explain the rest of his story. " Look, dear, I'm married... I'm happy with my wife... Her name's Kamilla, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. She's five months pregnant with my child, and things have been rough lately... I love you, Gretel, still, but just as a good friend..." Kurt explained, in a tired, but serious tone.

Gretel was speechless, and emotionally torn, but she put on her face and expressed exaggerated happiness for the man.

"Oh,Kurt!" Gretel gave the man a tight shoulder hug. "I'm so very happy for you, darling! Congratulations, she sounds like the greatest person, and I'm glad that you're having a good marriage!" In her mind, Gretel sighed, '_I wonder if she's even worth it? If she's even nice... This man's completely distressed...'_

"I didn't think you'd be! Thank you, dear, it means the world to me for you to be happy," Kurt replied in a distant tone. "Oh!" Kurt took a quick glance at his watch. "I have to go, Kamilla has a stew on for me, and she's expecting me home soon. Trust me, pregnant women are quite nasty when their husbands are late home!"

Kurt rose off of the bench, and so did Gretel.

"I hope that I can see you again, Kurt... I've enjoyed catching up with you..." Gretel hesitated with fake content. "Sometime I'll have to come over to your home, and I can meet your wife." Gretel flashed the biggest fake smile as her mind started to spiral in multiple directions.

Kurt drew Gretel in to a tight, loving embrace.

"I hope to see soon too, dear. Maybe when Kamilla's feeling good, or after she has the baby, you can visit her, okay? Or maybe we could go to the movies together sometime in the near future." Kurt pulled back from the embrace, and kissed Gretel's baby-soft forehead lovingly. "Bye, for now, Gretel..." Kurt squeezed his friend's shoulder tightly, and began to walk away quickly, as if to not carry too many emotions.

Gretel stared at Kurt's disappearing body almost absentminded, and placed herself upon the oak bench once again.

"Bye, Kurtsy..." Gretel sighed, holding back a strong amount of tears. '_I wish that you still loved me... I wish that there was no Kamilla in the way of us... Please, come back... Please..." _Gretel stared at the cold cement ground below her feet, and stared at the now non-crowded sidewalks- Everything in her life had been ruined the past year.

After about half-an-hour of sitting, Gretel's shoes were once again plodding down the deserted sidewalk- this time, not so happily...


End file.
